Hot School Meals

Scoil Mhuire Borrisokane are very excited to welcome ‘The Lunch Bag’ school lunch delivery service to our school. The Lunch Bag will be providing free school lunches for all our students in line with the EU Child Guarantee Scheme which aims to see all children receive a free school meal by 2030. We are delighted to have been chosen to begin the scheme this year from 17th October 2022.

Free school meals will start in the school on 17th October 2022.

We will furnish you with a new password to change your child’s order from the hot meal menu the Thursday before hot meals commence.

All children will receive a hot school meal for free every day. Ovens will be fitted in the school and a person will be charged with heating the meals and bringing them to the classroom.

On13/10/2022, each child will be given a letter with a unique username and password on it. Once you receive this, you can download ‘The Lunch Bag’ app and use these details to register your child/children. Only one app is required for each family, with each child’s details automatically attached to the parent account once the correct password is used.
Please note the school may not be available to view on the app until you receive the
Passwords on the date listed above.
If you are already a Lunch Bag user, you can use your old Lunch Bag log in, however, your child info will have to be re-added.

The easy-to-use app will allow you to order from up to 9 different hot meals each day. You can have a different meal every day of the week if you wish. Meals can be repeated every week, or changed every day if you prefer.
You can change your order up to 36 hours before the day you want lunch.
e.g., if you want to change your order for Monday, please do so before midnight Saturday.
If you want to change lunch for Tuesday, please do so before midnight Sunday.
Meals can be changed as often or as little as you please, whenever you want.

Families will be able to order from a menu that caters for all children.
A sample hot menu will be sent to you once ovens are placed in your school. Meals include chicken curry and rice, Pasta Bolognese, Roast chicken/beef and potatoes, hot rolls and ciabattas. Basically, we offer firm family favourites, building our menu on what children love to eat.

Hot
Each child will be given a compostable box with their name and order on it. These individual boxes will be delivered directly to their classroom at lunch time.
Each child will be given a compostable fork and napkin to help them eat.
Empty box will be collected by The Lunch Bag staff member and disposed of in the school.

Your child will be given a free BPA water bottle by The Lunch Bag for them to take their water in to school. Free drinks are not offered by the Programme.

Children will be given a free meal for their ‘big lunch’
Children will be given a free meal for their ‘big lunch’ and a snack will be provided. However, you can choose to buy an ‘extra snack’ from The Lunch Bag and have it delivered to the classroom if you wish. These snacks begin at a very reasonable .40c
(Fruit will be available to children while they are in receipt of cold lunches)
Your child will be given a free BPA water bottle by The Lunch Bag for them to take their water in to school. Free drinks are not offered by the Programme.

A default order will be sent to all children for the first few days until families change their order as they so wish. If you forget to order, a selection of firm favourites will be on hand to ensure no child goes hungry.
However, we do encourage you to take a few moments each week to plan your child’s lunch with their input, as a hot meal during the day has been proven to increase mood, attention and digestion – but we really want parent and child approval too!

As a school meal specialist for the past 3 years, The Lunch Bag has encountered every taste bud imaginable! We firmly believe there is a meal to suit every child – from plain eaters to adventurous palates – and we offer all.
Furthermore, we receive great feedback from families stating their kids are now tasting lots of new meals as they are experiencing them in a positive peer environment and at a point in the day when their hunger is peak – so do consider trialling new meals they haven’t tried before.

School meals are completely free of charge!
You will only be required to add money via a bank card on the app if you choose to add an extra snack.
If you do add money for snacks, then change your mind, that money will be returned to you without obligation.

When you register your child on the app, you will be asked to add any allergen they may have. Once completed, any meal containing that allergen will be removed from your menu.
Meals containing allergens are prepared in an allergen specific area.
The Lunch Bag is a 100% nut free facility.

If you require detailed dietary information due to health grounds, you can email admin@thelunchbag.ie to receive these.
These will also be available to view on our website.
All meals will have an option for halal meat.

The Lunch Bag has a reputation for outstanding food quality from over 500 schools and 100,000 families nationwide.
Our fresh food is sourced from the highest quality providers nationwide and is subject to frequent inspections from the Environmental Health Officer.
Our highest badge of honour however comes from the fact that our own children and staff eat this food daily – and love it!
All meals are made in line with Healthy Ireland Guidelines and portioned in line with same.
If there is any aspect of the food you are unhappy with, a feedback section on the app will allow you to contact us directly.

All food is prepped in our state-of-the-art facility in Nenagh Co Tipperary by a team of highly trained staff. All are trained to HACCP level 3 at a minimum.

The introduction of a hot school meal will be a tremendous addition not only to the school, but to the whole school community. We so look forward to serving you all.

If you have any further queries, please contact The Lunch Bag directly on

067-56002 or email admin@thelunchbag.ie.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the school, and we look forward to seeing the

benefits to both children and parents alike. Visit our site: https://www.thelunchbag.ie/